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Friday Favorites

Friday, December 30, 2016

Jumping back in to one of my favorites for the end of the year, Friday Favorites, with Andrea, Erika, & Narci.

I'm a sucker for new beginnings y'all. There is always something so, so good about the newness of things. I don't care whether it's a new resolution or a new bag of coffee (because we all know it only smells that good the first time it's opened), there is just something about new beginnings.

If we could figure out how to bottle that feeling we would all be set.

My new beginning starts here in this little space of mine. One of my 2016 goals was to change up my blog (style and name and
more content). Nothing drastic, but something different and something
that would grow with me since I do have a vision for this space. While I
will always be Parenting the A Team, I just wanted something different
(and that ADD always gets the best of me so there's that...ha!).

It took me literally all year to decide on something original 😜 and it's definitely still a work in progress, but it's a start. Here's
to 2017, to new beginnings, new writing, breakthroughs, unveilings, and
knowing that the Lord wastes nothing...not circumstances, time, pain,
struggles, anything. While I would never categorize myself as a writer
or a blogger even, I crave writing and I plan on doing a lot more of it
in the new year. I'll be back again on January 2 with a new post for
parents of kids with special needs.

Until then, Happy New Year, and I'm sharing some of my favorite New Years Eve traditions with my little family!

Eating New Years Eve dinner and New Years Day breakfast, lunch, and dinner on Christmas dishes may seem strange, but they were my grandmother's dishes and I love to use every chance we can get. Especially since I have failed miserably this year at using them.

Once upon a time we had great New Years plans (Disney, New York, Vegas, etc), but once Alli was born we have been doing festivities at home. It's become one of my favorite little traditions for our family and I feel confident if John said, "hey lil Mama, I have a sitter for the weekend and we're going to NY to watch the ball drop," I would turn him down. Besides the fact that I am almost 40 and can't make it to watch the ball drop on TV, let alone in real life, I have grown to love this night at home.

We do dinner, sweets, games, family dance party, champagne (or sprite if you're under 21), our blessing or joy box (we change the name every year) and the time capsule.

And jammies are a MUST.

I started the time capsule 4 years ago, if memory serves. And I wish I had found it sooner.

If you're looking for crafty ideas, I'm not your girl, but regardless, my girls look so forward to creating our time capsule each year. It's a short, no nonsense project, that anyone can do. And a way that I can freeze them just as they are on the same night every year. I look forward to opening it 10-20 years down the road to see how they have grown and remember each season.

I start by drawing each of their hands on a single half sheet of card stock. I love the contrasting sizes. You could add their names and ages next to each hand, but I loved the simplicity of the hands (they write their own names and ages on another sheet).

On a separate piece of card stock, I give them a short list of questions of some of their favorite things. We have to answer for Alli based on what we think she likes.

And then on the back, they draw a snapshot of exactly as they see themselves right now.

I then add them to the previous years time capsule and seal it away for another year. As I seal it away, I don't let them look at previous years, much to their groans and puppy dog eyes. I mean it is a time capsule after all.

The rest of the night is spent playing games (our new favorite this year is Blockus), sipping Champagne/Sprite, dance party, fireworks, and we end the evening with our blessing/joy box.

Alli LOVES a good dance party!

Ava bestowing to me our blessing box.

I started the tradition of the blessing/joy box back in 2010 when the girls were very young. We originally gifted the box at Christmas, but Christmas always has so much going on and I love the affirmations we speak to one another as a new year begins so we changed it to New Years Eve.

It originated from the joy stocking idea where you gift someone an ornament in a stocking each year that symbolizes something you have done together or something about them that has blessed you. I do ornaments each Christmas for the girls in a similar way so I thought that idea didn't work for us.

In comes the blessing/joy box. It's simply a box wrapped in pretty simple silver paper with a red bow tied. There is nothing inside. The actual "gift" are your words. The idea is to share with the family members the greatest joy each one has brought to you during the past year. I attach to the gift a scripture. It could be a verse that fits with what the person has done, or it can be the verse you are claiming for them for the coming year.

When we present these gifts, the biggest part of the presentation is our verbal affirmation and expression of the joy they have brought us. The best gifts to me are hearing those words of affirmation and love from my children so I can only imagine what it feels for them. After all, we all crave to know that we are loved. What better way than to affirm our kiddos as we head into a new year.

If you have any New Years traditions with your family I would love to hear them! Happy New Year, y'all!

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About Me

Hey y'all! I’m Jackie. John's wife, Anna Claire, Ava, and Alli's mama, and a million other things to other people I love. Incurably southern. Arkansas Razorback. Coffee lover. Red wine drinker. Beachcomber. I’ve seen every.single Law & Order episode and I secretly long to be an FBI agent (think Blacklist). I’m a girl mom, dance mom, volleyball mom and a super passionate supporter of micropreemie families and families of children with special needs. These are my ramblings, recipes, and everything in-between. I'm glad you're here! ♥

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Anna Claire, age 10

Ava Liz, age 7

Alli Grace, age 5

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